Those Who Knew Roger
by Stelra Etnae
Summary: The world says that the Pirate King was a villain, but there are some who saw him as a hero. Rival, comrade, friend, father; these are men who remember Roger the man, not the pirate. Ace hates the father he never got to know. But perhaps these men can change his mind. Featuring: Garp, Crocus, Shanks and Whitebeard
1. Prologue

_**I doubt anyone remembers that One Piece fanfic poll I put up ages ago anymore, but this was one of the top choices. I actually had it written for quite a while already, but was unsatisfied and kept modifying. I'm still not entirely confident with the characterizations of some of the characters, so if you feel that something if off at any time, do mention it in your review! Learning is a never-ending process, in writing even more so.**_

_**Anyway, after a long wait, here it finally is! I present to you the prologue for the "Ace meets people who truly knew his father" series. Hope you enjoy this new story of mine!**_

* * *

A man, known widely as the most powerful man on the seas, knelt upon the wooden platform awaiting his execution, no less intimidating despite being bound down. Spectators would swear for decades that he smiled until the end, and indeed this was the truth.

"_My wealth and treasures? If you want it, I'll let you have it...search for it! I left all of it at that place"_

On a little island in South Blue, unnoticed by those who she feared the most, a woman prayed that her child will be given the chance to live.

"_Ace… That's the name he chose… for this child… Gol D Ace, the name of our child…"_

In a dingy cell in the depths of Impel Down, a stern-faced Marine frowned as he listened to the very last request his greatest rival would make him.

"_The child who is yet to be born bears no sin, Garp! Take care of him for me!"_

Two boys tearfully watched as their captain left them all. Several months later, his execution was blared to the world, and they knew that his departure had been a gentle push telling them to lead their own lives. But they went anyway, their tears were proof that he had been a man much loved and already missed.

"_The only ones who can create this age are the people living in it right now! There are certainly a few people still alive today who took something away from what Roger said that day…"_

A man sat next to a lighthouse, a crumpled and torn newspaper abandoned by his side as he gazed out at sea. Even in its damaged state, key words in the headlines remained visible. 'Pirate King – Execution Tomorrow'

"_The day he was publicly executed… four years before that day… Roger came down with an incurable disease. Crocus of Twin Capes was the only man who was able to ease Roger's suffering. We asked him to accompany us on our last voyage, as ship doctor."_

Another man sat alone in a tavern, chugging down drinks as people around him chattered on about the Pirate King's execution and legacy, oblivious to who sat amongst them. With a loud laugh, he raised his tankard in a toast in the Pirate King's honor which echoed by the strangers around him. No one saw how his face, hidden in the shadow of his hood, ran wet with tears.

"_In the last moment of his life, he turned his fading "flame of life" into a huge fire that enveloped the world. I've never laughed more than on that day...! I've never cried more than on that day... I never drank more either..! He was our captain... and he was a magnificent man...!"_

He was a man who commandeered the respect of those he had met. And even now he lives on, in the memories of those whose lives he had touched. Because a man only truly dies when he is forgotten. And they will never forget.

His name was Gol D. Roger. And this is his legacy.

But this is not his story.

* * *

A child tore out of the tavern, ignoring the angry yells of the men he had attacked. It was only until he left the light of the town far behind, the darkness of the jungle enveloping him in its embrace, that he let the tears fall.

"_If Gold Roger had a kid? Then he should be killed! Serves him right I say!"_

A young man watches his home island steadily shrink away, until he could no longer see the energetic figure waving from the shore. Then he turned, to look at the endless horizon that presented itself before his eyes. The sea. The world. It was then that he swore he would keep running forward.

His name is Portgas D. Ace. And he hates the name that he was born with.


	2. He Who Chased Him

_**Thanks for your interest and your reviews, favs and follows, folks! Now presenting the first real chapter, and I hope you enjoy it!**_

_**Tiny note: Thanks to a comment by anonymous reviewer X-Chick303, I've made a small change to the chapter. Thanks for the reminder, X-Chick!**_

* * *

**He Who Chased Him**

Silhouetted against the setting sun, two figures, one large and one small, sat together on a cliff overlooking the dyed red sea. The younger of the two, a boy who couldn't be much older than seven years old, let out a deep sigh as he tore his gaze away from the sea and looked uncertainly over at his guardian. The older man didn't take his eyes off the blood red sea, though he knew of the boy's solemn regard.

"What is it, Ace?" he asked, a little gruffly but affectionately nonetheless.

The boy worried his lower lip before finally voicing the question on his mind, "Gramps… Do I deserve to live?"

That made Garp's gaze snap towards the boy who he had adopted. "Who told you that you don't deserve to live?" he asked, tone low and dangerous.

Ace looked away, shifting uncomfortably. "Nobody…"

"Ace…" Garp wasn't about to let it go without an answer. Not for the first time, he regretted not being able to spend more time with the boy because of his job.

"Everyone says that the Pirate King is a monster, and that any son of his should be killed!"

"Bullshit!" Garp slammed a fist into the log beside him, heedless of how it cracked and splintered under the pressure.

Ace leapt up, eyes burning. "But the townspeople said-"

"Don't listen to those idiots, boy!" Garp snapped. "Anyone who would cast the sins of the father onto the son is an absolute idiot!"

"Still, if he was a monster-"

"Didn't I tell you not to listen to them!?"

The Marine paused, conflict warring in his mind. On one hand, he ought to be glad that the boy had such a negative view of Roger, surely that would put him off becoming a pirate, right? But still… Dammit, it went against his morals to demonize the man like this, especially to his son. His brows furrowed.

"Listen, Ace, I would call Roger many things, but monster is not one of them. Those idiots, they've never known Roger and never will! They are hardly qualified to judge his character!"

"Then how would you describe him?" Ace retorted rather snappishly as well, irritated at Garp's reaction.

"A selfish, infuriating bastard-"

"How is that different from what the townspeople have been saying!?" Ace was frustrated, involuntary tears springing to his eyes. He hastily blinked them away.

"Don't interrupt me, you brat! He was a crazy idiot, but till this day, I have not met anyone that commanded my respect as much as he did."

Ace was stunned into silence, and Garp took the chance to plow on. To heck with it, he might as well continue what he started.

"He was crazy, yet loyal to a fault. His selfishness knew no bounds, but that also meant that he would protect his own to the death. I can count in a single hand pirate captains that truly cared for their nakama, and Roger would number one of them."

"Our last meeting… was in a dingy prison cell in Impel Down. I didn't go to his execution. I think I've told you that before. But I never told you about our first meeting, did I?" Garp looked at the horizon, his expression almost wistful, as Ace shook his head, the boy's interest now honestly piqued despite himself.

"The location, if I remember correctly, was not too far from here. I was young then, just a Lieutenant stationed in a small base in East Blue, newly appointed. He was a rookie pirate who had gotten his first bounty less than a month before that. By chance, he stopped by the island that I was patrolling, and I recognized him.

"He was with a few other members of his crew, one or two of them already holding bounties themselves, though his was by far the highest. I immediately reached for my mini Den Den Mushi to make a report back to the base. And then…"

"_ORRYAAAAAHH!"_

"_GAAAHHH!" Garp couldn't help the startled yelp as the black-haired pirate straight out tackled him. It took the young Marine a few precious seconds to get hold of his bearings again and by that time he realized that Roger was hightailing it out of the area. _

"_Come back here!" he roared, charging after the fleeing pirates._

"_As if I would!" was thrown back without a backwards glance as Roger hurried to catch up to his crew. Garp gritted his teeth and picked up his pace, but the pirate captain had a good lead over him._

_It seemed that the weather was favoring the pirates that day, for the small ship had caught a good wind and was speeding away from the beach by the time Garp reached the shore._

_Roger still hung casually from the rope ladder thrown over the side, the most infuriating grin on his face as he threw a challenging look back at Garp._

"_What is your name, officer!?" the pirate yelled over the sound of waves and wind._

"_Marine Lieutenant Monkey D Garp! I'll catch you the next time we meet, pirate! Be assured of that!"_

_The pirate just laughed, seemingly unconcerned about the threat. He swung back a hand to toss something at Garp, which he caught by reflex. It was his Den Den Mushi, petulantly shrunk into its shell with the maltreatment. He hadn't even realized that the other had taken it off him._

_The pirate was outright smirking when Garp returned his attention to him._

"_Remember this, Garp! I am Gol D Roger, and one day, the whole world will know my name! You want to catch me? Just try!"_

"I started seeking him out actively then. A while later, I requested to be transferred to Marine Headquarters. I knew that he would one day enter Grand Line, and I was prepared for when he did. I stalked him with every step he made, yet somehow he always managed to stay just out of reach. Every encounter was thrilling, for it could be said that we were evenly matched, though he eventually got away every time.

"But one time, that final time, he didn't.

"That meeting started out just like the others. A scout had spotted the Oro Jackson on the seas of the Grand Line, and I immediately told my crew to make for where the ship had been seen. We found him, as we sometimes did when we were lucky. But it wasn't long before I noticed something glaringly wrong with the picture.

"His crew, that he treasured so much, wasn't there."

"How come?" Ace spoke for the first time since he started telling the story. His eyes were large and curious. Garp smiled at him, and ruffled the boy's hair. Ace squirmed, batting away his hand. Garp just laughed and continued.

"That was something that puzzled me as well, at the time. It was unnatural to see him standing alone on the huge deck of his ship. He never told me what happened to his crew, but I am certain that they were likely ordered away by Roger himself. They would never have left him otherwise. I first suspected it to be a trap, but none of them made appearances, even after we captured him after the briefest of struggles. It was too easy. I only found out later that it was Roger's intention to be caught that day.

"Roger, for all that he was usually reckless and impulsive, was in fact a very intelligent man. I actually believe that he had planned everything to the last detail. He let me, who would chase him to the ends of the world if needed, catch him. He probably knew that by doing so I would gain a new level of respect among the Marines, even beyond the authority of my Vice Admiral position. He predicted that, and it was based on that assumption that he made his last personal request.

"He asked me to take you in. Being the man who had supposedly captured the Pirate King, I would be the last person in the world to be suspected of harboring any child of my lifelong enemy.

"You may think that he didn't care for you. But he knew that there was no way I would abandon you. By leaving you with me, he secured your safety. He used me, in a way that I should be angry about but can't. Because he did it to protect you."

Garp cleared his throat gruffly before continuing. "I want you to remember one thing, Ace. To those of us who had the chance to know him personally… He was my enemy, true. Yet for all his flaws, Gol D. Roger was not a man who I could truly hate. Which is why, when he selfishly told me to protect you…I agreed."

"Gramps…"

Garp cleared his throat, embarrassed by the emotional revelation. He stood and shot a gruff look at Ace, crossing his arms in front of him sternly. "But don't you go getting any ideas about becoming a pirate! You're going to be a Marine!"

"As if, old m-" Ace let out a huge yawn, his face going slack. Within a few seconds, he was asleep, his narcolepsy causing him to slump forward. Garp caught him before the child's face hit the ground, sitting down again and settling the boy's head on his thigh to let him rest better. He was surprised that Ace had not fallen asleep before this, actually.

A fond smile passed his face as he looked at the peacefully sleeping boy. His hand gently caressing the boy's hair, Garp sighed and gazed out again at the sea, the previous vibrant color now beginning to fade into darkness.

"_Protect my child!"_

"_Absolutely preposterous!"_

"_No… You'll do it, I know you will! I leave my child in your hands!"_

"Dammit Roger, I'm not cut out for this," he grumbled, but without any real heat. "All I can do is keep him away from the eyes of the government for as long as I can, and pray that he doesn't follow the same path you did.

"I'll do my best. But in the end… there are simply some things that I cannot do. You know that."

* * *

**_Reviews are very much appreciated. Constructive criticism is gold._**

**_Next up: A timeskip, and a chance encounter at the beginning of the Grand Line..._**


	3. He Who Sustained Him

**He Who Sustained Him**

The ship rushed down the fast-flowing column of water (accompanied by the pleasant sound effect of hoarse screams) before finally slowing down at the base of the mountain.

On board, the crew was a wreck, everyone plastered lifelessly against the deck.

"Are we alive?" a muffled voice questioned, its owner still having his face pressed against the wooden planks of the deck.

The navigator sighed from his position slumped against the mast, looking exhausted but triumphant at his success. "Looks like we survived the first hurdle."

"Of course we did!" Ace grinned, the first one to leap to his feet and run to the railing to look out at the sea that they had newly arrived in. "We're the Spade Pirates after all! What would we be if we couldn't even conquer Reverse Mountain?" He looked back at his crew, his eyes shining. "Let's go, men!"

Tired groans answered him. He pouted. "Come on, everyone! We're finally in the Grand Line! New adventure is just out there waiting for us!"

That seemed to wake the crew up a little, their spirits rising once more after the harrowing ordeal of Reverse Mountain.

"Get out the booze!" their mechanic yelled. Everyone chorused their approval of this course of action. They pushed their bodies off the deck with less reluctance than before.

A movement to the left of the ship made Ace and several others glance quickly in that direction, wary of attack.

An old man with strange feather-like extensions around the back of his head was glaring at them sternly from the shore. The crew immediately tensed. An enemy? It would not do to be too careless, even though he didn't look particularly dangerous. It was the Grand Line after all. Appearance could be deceiving.

The two parties stared at each other wordlessly for a few moments before one side broke the silence.

"Newly come in from the Blues?" the stranger asked gruffly, his eyes softening slightly.

They hesitated a little, looking at each other uncertainly before deciding that there was no harm in telling the truth.

"Yes, sir," Ace said politely.

The strange old man gave them all an assessing look before turning back towards his house. "Why don't you come in and rest for a bit?"

Well…what harm could it do? He seemed friendly enough. As they made preparations to dock, the man paused at the doorway and looked back.

"Oh, and bring your own booze while you're at it. I'm all out. It's the least you can do since I offered you all my hospitality."

"…You just wanted to get some free booze, you old man!" they yelled together.

* * *

"My name is Crocus, 68 years old, Gemini sign, blood type AB. I'm the caretaker of the Twin Capes Lighthouse."

Well, that was rather more information than expected. Makino had taught him to be polite when greeting people, though, so he supposed he should respond in kind.

"…I'm Portgas D Ace, 17 years old… I'm the captain of the Spade Pirates," he waved to include the Spade Pirates. "We just came through from East Blue." Ace bowed politely. "It's nice to meet you."

He could have sworn that Crocus snorted a bit, but it was so indistinct that he dismissed it.

"Well, don't just stand around there. Have some food and booze. Don't be shy."

"The booze is ours, old man!" some of the crew protested rather indignantly, but Crocus ignored them, filling up his tankard.

The meal progressed, but Ace got the feeling that he was being scrutinized. He snuck a glance at the old man, and found Crocus to be staring at him unabashedly. The man wasn't even trying to hide, and in fact just raised an eyebrow when their eyes met.

Crocus got up and exited the house, a brief glance over his shoulder at the door signaling to Ace that he wanted the youth to follow him. After some hesitation, Ace did. He found Crocus standing by the shore, staring out into the distance. The man took a drink from the tankard of ale that he had brought out with him.

"You look a lot like someone I knew a long time ago."

Ace froze, his veins turning to ice. It couldn't be… had he really been found out so fast? He decided to play it cool, despite the fact that his heart was racing a mile per second. "Really?" he managed, trying to sound disinterested.

He thought he had done a pretty good job of it too, but Crocus' eyes were sharp and unwavering, not buying his façade for a moment. Even so, the man didn't call his bluff, opting to simply take another swig from his tankard, eyes staring out to the horizon.

"Will you listen to the ramblings of an old man, boy?" Crocus took Ace's silence as consent, for he continued. "That man you remind me of… I sailed with him for three years in the Grand Line. Followed him to the end, and it was adventure all the way. Never regretted it."

"There is one thing I regret, however. And that is that I never found the cure to his illness."

Ace started at that, eyes widening a fraction at the unexpected information before his façade could be reinstalled. Crocus, like before, chose not to call him out on it, even though the wry smile that flashed across his mouth told that he had noticed.

"Did you know that he was terminally ill for the entirety of his Grand Line journey? I daresay you didn't; not many people knew after all, even back then. A madman, he was, to be able to do so much with that weakening body. I did my best to help, but there wasn't much that I could do. It was him, all him."

Crocus' gaze was again fixed pensively on the far away distance, as if expecting a ship to appear against the sun. Ace, on the other hand, was warring with himself. Part of him, the stubborn part, yelled that he didn't want to hear about _that man_. But another part of him craved it like a moth to fire.

"There was one time... Actually there were many times like it, but one remains particularly vivid. As his doctor, I was in charge of monitoring his condition, and usually managed pretty well. When faced with skirmishes with the Marines (they were a nuisance) and enemy crews, he was generally well enough to fight, but naturally, there were several times that he wasn't.

"That very morning, he had been hacking up a lung, yet he still went out nonetheless when the Marines chucked a cannonball at us. It was the first time I felt genuinely afraid for his life, and unfortunately not the last."

_Crocus prodded a needle into Roger's arm with a little more force than necessary. Oh who was he kidding, it was a lot more force than needed, and deliberate. The captain winced but wisely didn't complain. The doctor then proceeded to check on the bandages wrapped around his patient, maintaining a stony silence despite finding nothing wrong with them. It wasn't a major wound, it would heal in due time. Three days should do well enough. Still, Crocus was tempted to issue the captain a whole month of bed rest just for revenge. He fixed the captain with a stern stare._

"_You'll have to stay in bed for-"_

_"Oh, come on, Cro-"_

"_Two weeks," he continued ruthlessly. He saw a rebellious light enter the dark-haired man's eyes. "And Rayleigh will help me to make sure you do. He will and you know it, once I tell him about how you went against my orders-"_

_The captain wailed at that threat. "No, Crocus, you wouldn't!"_

"_I can and I will," Crocus said in a tone of finality that brokered no argument. He may be the captain, but in regards to health, the doctor's word was rule. A rule that he had broken a mere hour ago, and couldn't afford to do again._

_Crocus sighed, his exhaustion apparent. "What do you fight for, Roger? Why do you still go out there, even when it may shorten your life? And don't give me any bullshit about us needing you out there; you know very well that Rayleigh could have handled it fine."_

"_Because I am the captain."_

"That's all he said, and somehow he managed to convey everything he needed. After that, he would still go out whenever enemies came. And I, knowing that I could not stop him, put double effort into keeping his health at a manageable level. But of course, all I could do was prolong the time he had to live. When the crew parted ways, he only had one more year to live."

Shrewd eyes finally found Ace's, the following words for his ears alone.

"Don't judge him based on the words of those who never knew him. If you really want answers, ask those who followed him and perhaps even those who fought him. There are many – two boys, formerly apprentices under the Roger Pirates and now both captains in their own right; men who followed him to the ends of the earth, and further if he had asked; men who could proudly call themselves his rivals."

Ace could only stare mutely back at the older man's disarmingly sincere gaze. There was no point keeping up the act, for this man had proven that he already knew. But he didn't want to talk to these people… did he?

Crocus looked at him again with a thoughtful, softer expression. "There is one person that I think you need to meet. A man who viewed Roger as his own father, because he had no other. If you move further into the Grand Line, to its second half, known as the New World, you will be able to gain the chance to seek him out. Just tread carefully. The Yonko face challengers every now and then, so they may be wary of rookies who actively search for them. That boy isn't the bloodthirsty type but even so, tread carefully. Once you meet him and tell him of your purpose, though, he'll most likely be willing to tell you anything you want to know."

Ace said nothing again, looking away.

The older man sighed at his stubborn behavior and rolled his eyes at the familiarity of it. He pressed on. "You'll have heard of him, I believe. His name is Shanks."

That got a reaction. "_Shanks_? Red Hair Shanks?" Ace repeated in shock, turning sharply to gape at him. Shanks… It was a small world indeed.

Crocus smiled. "Shanks used to apprentice on Roger's ship. Speak to him," Crocus told him quietly. "He was there before me, sailed with him for much longer than I had. He'll be able to tell you about the father you never had."

Ace's eyes hardened again, mouth pressing into a harsh line. "And if I don't want to hear about that man?"

Crocus met his glare gravely. "Then I hope that he will convince you that you do."

Later, as the Spade Pirates set sail again, further into the Grand Line, Ace pondered Crocus' words and his parting advice.

Red-Haired Shanks… Ace told himself that he was going to seek out the Emperor just to thank him for saving Luffy. Not to find out more about the man who the world knew as Gold Roger and only a select few knew as Gol D. Roger.

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**_Please do leave a review, and as before, concrit is very welcome!_**


	4. He Who Admired Him

**He Who Admired Him**

"Are you serious about this, Ace?" someone yelled from the back, his voice half carried away by the howling wind. The chill was beginning to seep into their bones, even with the thick coats they had acquired from the townsfolk.

Ace, however, was adamant. "I've just got to meet him!" He seemed almost unfazed by the cold, though whether it because of his Mera Mera ability or his stubborn determination to see this through was debatable.

The rest of the crew groaned, being of the thought that this would not work out well. But then again, they had pretty much signed up for insanity when they agreed to join the pyromaniac, so they may as well follow him to wherever he wanted to go.

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" the utterance was less of a question and more of a warning, the tone colder than the surrounding temperature. Ace suppressed a shiver of natural fear and held up his hands quickly in a placating gesture.

"Hey, hey, don't get the wrong idea here! I hear you saved my little brother's life – he talks about you all the time! So I figured I just had to at least meet you and say thanks!" He looked warily at the captain. "By little brother I mean Luffy, that is," he quickly added, realizing that he had forgotten that crucial point.

At this hurried explanation, the red-haired captain's eyes lit up and his face broke into a grin. "Oh~? You're Luffy's brother? Wow, I never knew he had a brother… A pleasure to meet you! Please, tell me how he's doing!"

The tension in the area drained away at the Emperor's delighted response. Immediately, the men surrounding Shanks didn't seem so threatening anymore, thanks to the dissipation of the killing intent that had previously saturated the air. Ace let out the breath that he had unconsciously been holding. These men were the trusted man of an Emperor of the New World, not to be underestimated. Still… if he didn't know better, he would have thought that the boisterous group in front of him now was a completely different one than the one from before.

The red-haired captain was the most carefree of the lot. "Let's throw a party!"

Preparations were done with remarkable aplomb. The Red Hair Pirates must do this pretty often, Ace guessed with some amusement. Shanks was just like how Luffy had described him.

Having been dragged to sit around the sizable bonfire, the Spade Pirates were in various states of bemusement at the sudden turn in events.

"This is surreal…" the navigator mumbled rather dazedly. "A party with Red Hair Shanks of the Yonko…"

One of the Red Hair Pirates, a man with blond dreadlocks and a headband, laughed and heartily clapped the younger man on the back. The navigator almost spit out his rum.

As Ace bit into a piece of barbequed meat offered to him by the Red Hairs' chef, he saw from the corner of his eye a flash of black and red as Shanks sat down next to him. Ace tensed, preparing himself for the conversation that was sure to come, though he did his best not to reveal it outwardly, instead just continuing to chew nonchalantly as he turned to smile at the Yonko.

"So you are Luffy's brother… Raised by his grandfather, I suppose?" his wording, though subtle, revealed that he was completely certain that Luffy was an only child. "A lot makes sense now, yes… Garp really did a good job of hiding you from the public eye."

No point trying to deny it, then. "How long have you known?"

"Since your first bounty poster came out, kid. I wasn't all that sure at first, but Master Rayleigh confirmed my suspicions. He said that there could be no doubt."

Ace continued to chew, mulling over the information. Dark King Silvers Rayleigh… Possibly the man who knew the most about the Pirate King and the man he had been.

"Do we really look that much alike?"

"Similar enough to draw attention from those who knew him. But some features, like those freckles of yours, are definitely from your mother."

That caught his attention, and he dropped his false nonchalance to look at the Yonko. "You knew my mother? Crocus-san didn't."

"Ah, Crocus-san? You met him? Is he well? Man, I haven't seen him in years!"

After Ace gave him a brief account of their meeting, the Yonko smiled and continued, "True, he never met her, since he only joined us when we entered Grand Line. I only met your mother once or twice too, when we dropped by South Blue. Rouge-san… She was a beautiful person, with a beautiful heart to match."

_Two pairs of eyes peeked stealthily (or at least they thought they were being stealthy) through a back window into the cottage. The boys were huddled together in a bush in a rare moment of silence, their usual squabbling put aside in favor of their newest point of interest._

_Namely their captain and the pretty lady he had left the ship to visit._

_Said captain was seated with his back to the window (the main reason they had chosen the spot). The lady was taking something out of the oven and soon the wonderful buttery aroma of fresh cookies hit their noses, making the two little spies drool._

_Their hearts almost stopped when she glanced over in the direction of the window as she passed with the tray in her hands. The apprentices ducked into the bush, crouching as low as possible to avoid being seen. Above them, they heard the click of the window latch and a swish as the window swung open._

_The silence that followed prompted the boys to think that they had successfully escaped notice, until a melodious giggle broke it. The sound made them cast their eyes upwards, to meet a pair of warm chocolate eyes. _

_The pretty lady leaned out of the window to get a better view of the two sheepish boys, and her eyes crinkled as she smiled._

"_Why don't you two come in for some cookies?"_

_Shanks and Buggy traded a glance rather uncertainly. A familiar ringing laugh made their eyes shoot skywards again. Their captain now stood beside the lady, smirking down at them. "Well, if you really don't want to come in, that just means more cookies for me."_

"_Roger!" the lady laughed, elbowing him playfully. She turned to the boys again. "I'm Rouge, you must be Shanks and Buggy. Roger has told me a lot about you two, won't you join us so that I can get to know you better?"_

"_The cookies are great," Roger threw over his shoulder as he strolled back to the table._

"_Roger's going to finish them all if you don't hurry up," Rouge teased before she also left the window. The boys exchanged another glance before clambering through the window, dashing towards the table. Roger made a grand show of trying to lift the tray out of their reach with three cookies in his mouth but let's just say that the boys knew their captains' weaknesses well, and so with some cheerful help from Rouge the captain soon fell at their mercy._

_The cookies were gone in seconds._

Ace stared at his hands pensively.

This was a side of Roger that he had never been told of before. To the world, he was a villain; to Gramps, he was a rival; to Crocus, he was a leader. But to Shanks… To Shanks, Roger was both father and friend, someone who he had respected and _loved_.

Shanks leaned back, taking a swig from his tankard as he let Ace sort out his muddled emotions. From the corner of his eye he watched the conflict race across the youth's face and sighed.

"Ace." The younger jumped slightly, eyes fixed stubbornly on the ground for a long moment before they rather uncertainly rose up to meet Shanks'.

"I don't know what people have told you about the captain, and I'm not saying that you have to accept what I've told you. He had his faults, all men do, some more than others, but the man who I knew was one that I am proud to call my father. Because that was what he was to me and I wouldn't have it any other way. He took me in, a scruffy street kid with nothing to my name, and loved me as his own. I'm sure that had he been given the chance, he would have loved you with all his heart as well. That was the type of man he was. A man with a big heart, with enough love to share with everyone he cared about."

Shanks' voice was quiet and serious as he met Ace's gaze firmly. "Even to this day, I believe that a greater man has not existed."

* * *

**OMAKE**

As the bright morning sun hit the red-haired captain's face full force, Shanks yawned and blearily opened his eyes. Sitting up, he stretched, wincing as his back creaked from the bad position it had been all night. He wasn't as young as he once had been, apparently. And what with his captain's son all grown up and Luffy being, what, almost sixteen now? Damn, time sure flew.

The crunch of snow made his gaze slide to his right. With a critical eye, he looked at his first mate's head of graying hair. At least his own red hair was still fine, his befuddled mind assured him. Not quite into his dotage yet.

Benn ignored his captain's dubiously intent regard. "Our guests left about an hour ago, saying that they want to make a head start down the mountain. You were fast asleep, so the kid asked me to pass on his goodbyes."

Shanks laughed. "A polite kid, that. Way more than his father." He got to his feet, brushing off the snow that had gotten stuck on his cape. "Yesterday was an interesting experience."

"And I thought that you would be interested to know that he was asking about Whitebeard's location, before he left."

"Why would he…" Shanks' jaw dropped open in realization and he cursed. "That little idiot! I can only hope that he doesn't turn out to be as reckless as Captain Roger. Maybe he just… wants to meet him."

Benn sent him a bland look.

Shanks sighed. "That's an empty wish, isn't it? These brats, always making us worry about them…"

Benn chuckled at the irony. He had overheard Silvers Rayleigh grumbling about very much the same thing over the years, in particular after that fateful trip to East Blue. Shanks didn't hear him, or at least pretended not to.

"Oh well," the captain sighed again. "Knowing that boy and Whitebeard, the old man will probably take a liking to him and tell him to join the crew."

Somewhere in the New World, Whitebeard sneezed.


	5. He Who Rivalled Him

**He Who Rivalled Him**

Ace paced up and down in front of the gigantic door, occasionally stealing glances at the doorknob.

"Should I tell him…?" he muttered under his breath. "What if he kicks me out…? Maybe I should just reject the post – but everyone would want to know why… What if I just don't tell him? But then my conscience… Argh! Dammit!"

He pulled at his hair in frustration. Coming to a halt in front of the door, he stared up at it with the air of one facing his doom.

"Might as well get this over and done with… Well here goes nothing…" He finally took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in, Ace."

Urgh. Oyaji knew that it was him, which meant he probably had known the entire length of time that he had been there. Ace sheepishly entered the room.

"Gurarara, I've been expecting you, my son. Come to accept the Commander post?"

Each word sent a stab of guilt into him. Especially those two words, 'my son'. Would he still call him that after he knew the truth?

Ace swallowed nervously. "Oyaji… There's something important that I have to tell you."

Whitebeard was silent, letting him work out the confession at his own pace, not wanting to rush him.

The youth took a deep breath and decided to just cut all chase and go straight to the topic. Like pulling out a tooth, he thought, though no tooth would hurt as much as rejection would. "I…" He let it out all at once. "My birth father was Gol D Roger."

Ace didn't dare to look up and meet the captain's eyes. Couldn't bear to see rejection and hatred. His eyes snapped up however when Whitebeard burst out laughing.

"Gurarara… I see… That's a surprise. I see… Yes… You're not very like him in personality, mind." Whitebeard continued to chuckle, eying Ace's nervous posture with fond amusement.

Ace was stunned by the casual reply. "He was your enemy, wasn't he? Aren't you going to throw me out?"

His Oyaji snorted inelegantly. "When you said you had something important to tell me, I wondered what on earth it may be… But then you come out with a little thing like this?"

Tears filled the young man's eyes. Whitebeard, seeing it, smiled kindly.

"I wouldn't have blamed you for who your father was even if I had hated Roger. And I didn't. Found him to be an annoyance, perhaps," Whitebeard chuckled at some recollection. "He may have been an idiot that acted before he thought most of the time, but his heart was in the right place. A good deal better than some of the menaces we have on the seas nowadays."

Gramps had said the same thing. That Roger wasn't a man that he could hate.

With a fatherly air, Whitebeard gestured for Ace to sit closer to him. Obediently, Ace shifted nearer, finally deciding to settle himself on the floor next to the great man's knee. He felt like a child again, but strangely in a good way.

"Roger… He didn't call his crew his sons as I do, but everyone knew that he viewed them as family. In the old days, it was common knowledge that if you hurt any member of the Pirate King's crew, you were as good as dead. The world calls One Piece his treasure, but anyone who knew him back then would say with absolute conviction that his crew and all his loved ones were his treasure. You would have been one of those people, if he was alive. Your mother as well, no doubt."

Ace looked at the floor. "I don't need him. You're my father."

"Gurarara. Had Roger lived, I expect that the circumstances would be very different from what we have now. But there's no point in considering possibilities. Now where was I…?" Whitebeard considered for a moment before deciding how to continue. "Our first meeting… it was unusual, to say the least.

"After a storm, we found him floating on the water, unconscious and held up by nothing more than a chunk of wood that looked like it had been torn from a railing. He was in immediate danger of slipping off it, so we quickly fished him out. Imagine our surprise when we identified him as a captain whose infamy equaled my own. His bounty was considerably high, even back then. Equipped with this knowledge, we waited for him to wake up.

"_Ah, Whitebeard, is it? I've wanted to meet you for a while now, Newgate. This must be Fate."_

"_Gurarara! So you call almost drowning Fate, Roger? What a strange man you are. You believe in such a thing as Fate?"_

"_Only that it is there for me to challenge." Roger tipped back his bottle of rum. "Ah, this is good rum. I commend your taste in alcohol, Newgate."_

"_Gurararara! I expect you to provide the drinks during our next meeting, mind!"_

"_But of course. You must try the booze I picked up in West Blue. Best stuff I've ever tasted."_

_Whitebeard laughed again. "I look forward to it." A short companionable silence fell, before he casually asked, "So tell me, what lead to the state we found you in?_

"_Since you were close enough to pick me up, you must also have encountered a storm a few hours ago? I daresay my ship was caught in the worst of it, and I accidentally went overboard in the chaos. Hahahaha!"_

"_Awfully unconcerned about the fact that he could have died, ain't he?" Whitebeard heard Vista whisper to Jozu._

"_Gurarara! I see, I see… Hmm, do you want to call your crew? They must be worrying."_

"_Hahahaha, and so they probably are! Thing is…" Roger laughed sheepishly. "I forgot the number."_

"A captain like that," Ace muttered in disbelief as Whitebeard laughed boisterously. But why did it sound so uncannily familiar? Somehow it sounded like something Luffy would do…

Whitebeard's voice cut off Ace's stunned (and somewhat horrified) realization.

"It was a few days before we encountered his crew. We might even have missed them, if not for Marco searching from the sky. He noticed their Jolly Roger and signaled for us to head over. When we came close enough, it was obvious that they had all been frantic. That old fox Rayleigh started yelling about Roger giving him white hairs, and so did several others. Roger, the rascal, just laughed as he leapt back onto his ship from ours."

_The Roger Pirates had swarmed around their captain the moment he had stepped back onto the deck of his own ship. The first mate – Silvers Rayleigh, he remembered reading on the wanted poster – was obviously giving the black-haired man a scathing lecture. Two boys had latched themselves onto Roger and were bawling their eyes out, and the man fondly patted their heads as he listened with half an ear to Rayleigh's rants. Suddenly, the crowd parted a little to let another man through._

_Whitebeard watched, amused, as the other captain raised his hands in a surrendering gesture as a bespectacled man with a unique flower-like hairdo stormed up and glared daggers at Roger. He snorted under his breath. The doctor, no doubt. Only a doctor would proceed to tow his captain away by the back of his shirt, with a blatant disregard for said captain's protests._

_Apparently resigned to this manhandling, Roger looked back towards the Moby Dick and waved cheerfully with a fine disregard for his undignified condition before turning to his first mate, a big grin in his face. "Rayleigh, make preparations, we're partying tonight! And get out the best of that West Blue sake we have, I promised Newgate we'd have a few drinks together."_

"_You're not drinking until I say you can!" the doctor grumbled irately._

"_Eh!? But Crocus~" Roger whined, tilting his head back to look pleadingly at the man towing him away._

_Any response that the doctor gave was muffled as the pair passed through the door into the cabin and presumably the infirmary._

Ace was gaping by the end of the story. Could the Pirate King, hated by so many, actually have been so _normal_? Okay, so normal wasn't quite the right term, he obviously had a few screws loose somewhere, but the man in Oyaji's story had seem so carefree. A free soul, like Ace himself yearned to be.

Whitebeard chuckled in remembrance, then as if reading Ace's thoughts, continued gently, "He was no monster, far from it. Gol D. Roger was just another man, with his own cares and worries. It was just that he had bigger dreams than most."

Dreams…

"If some strangers in a pub told you that I'm a monster with no heart, would you believe them?"

"Of course not!" Ace said indignantly. Who would dare speak of his Oyaji in that way…!? Oh.

Whitebeard smiled behind his sake bottle as he took another swig from it. "There will always be people who badmouth us behind our backs, for as long as we are remembered. We can't change the way they think, but that doesn't mean that they are right. The things that you heard on the streets about Roger is probably no truer than any false rumors you would hear about me."

Ace bit his lip. He wanted to say that it was different, to stick to his own stubborn beliefs, but… even he had to admit that it wasn't all that different at all.

Whitebeard allowed him a few moments of silence before breaking it. "Anyway, why should I care who your father was? It doesn't matter who brought you into this world… all humans are sons and daughters of the sea! Gurarara!"

Ace's eyes turned moist at the older man's clear acceptance. He swallowed thickly, unable to say anything as he stared at the wooden grains of the floor. What had he done in his life to have a great man such as this call him son?

Whitebeard looked at him kindly. Silly boy, he had been really worried about this, hadn't he?

The captain's mouth curved into smirk, his eyes twinkling. "Should I assume that you'll be taking the Second Division Commander position, then?"

Judging by the way Ace's eyes went wide, he had clean forgotten about the situation that had led him here. Then determination lit his gaze, and he realized that his early misgivings didn't really bother him anymore. Oyaji had accepted him for who he was. He felt as if a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders, and in a way it had. "I… Yes. Yes, I will. And Oyaji… Thank you."

Whitebeard's smile was fond. "Go, silly boy, and greet your men. They'll be waiting for the good news."

Ace left the room, walking up the stairs with his heart hammering painfully in his chest. When he stepped on the wooden deck of the Moby Dick, it seemed as if everyone paused in their work to look at him. He stared solemnly at the men around him, though he wasn't even quite sure himself what he was searching for. All he saw, however, were expectant faces, all which were gloriously trusting and held not a single shred of ill will.

His face broke into a wide smile that was possibly truer than any that he had ever shown.

The ship, which had for a brief moment been silent, erupted in cheers.

"Commander!" "Commander Ace!"

Ace held up one hand, and the commotion quieted obligingly. The eager stares returned, fueled by the huge grin that remained on their new 2nd Division Commander's face.

"LET'S PARTY!"

* * *

_**A/N: I'd originally intended to finish with Rayleigh, but due to not particularly strong interest in this story and lagging inspiration, I've decided to end this story here and focus my attention elsewhere. I may eventually get around to posting the Rayleigh chapter, but for now this story will be marked as Complete.**_

_**Thank you for reading, and do leave a review if you liked it and even if you didn't so that I can know where I went wrong. Til next time!  
**_


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